USB-C Receptacle Connector Rear Inspection Window
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional USB Type-C electrical receptacle connectors face issues with soldering quality, as the legs of the receptacle terminals can become detached or soldering spots merge, leading to ineffective connections and potential short circuits, making it necessary to unsolder and re-solder the connector.
Innovation Solution
The electrical receptacle connector design includes a metallic shell, insulated housing, and a rear cover plate with holes that allow for visual inspection of the soldering condition between the tail portions of the receptacle terminals and the circuit board contacts, enabling proper alignment and contact verification, and features a 180-degree symmetrical design for dual orientation compatibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the legs of the receptacle terminals are soldered at the bottom portion of the middle of the plastic core, then the connector can be assembled, but the soldering condition cannot be checked and soldering defects may occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent moves the soldering location from the bottom interior of the plastic core to the rear surface of the connector, changing the spatial dimension of the soldering operation. This allows the soldering area to be accessible from the rear direction, enabling visual inspection and quality verification without disassembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a rear cover plate as an intermediary structure that provides a viewing window or opening. This intermediary element allows observers to check the soldering condition of the terminals without interfering with the assembled structure, enabling quality inspection while maintaining the integrity of the connector assembly.
2Ease of manufacture
If the conventional receptacle connector structure is used, then the connector can be manufactured, but soldering defects such as merged soldering spots or detached legs cannot be detected
Solution Approach 1:
The rear cover plate serves as an intermediary that provides a viewing window or opening, enabling visual inspection of the soldering area. This intermediary structure allows quality inspectors to observe the soldering condition without disassembling the connector, making defect detection feasible while maintaining manufacturing simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent positions the soldering area and inspection opening in such a way that quality inspection can be performed preliminarily during the assembly process or immediately after soldering, before the connector is installed or used. This allows defects to be detected early when they can be most easily identified and corrected.
3Reliability
If soldering defects occur in the conventional connector, then the connector must be unsoldered and re-soldered, but this increases production time and complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables preliminary quality inspection of soldering through the rear cover plate opening, allowing defects to be detected before the connector is fully assembled or shipped. By performing inspection preliminarily, the need for rework is reduced, and when rework is needed, it can be done more easily without complete disassembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the inspection function from the interior of the plastic core and makes it accessible through the rear cover plate. This separation of the inspection pathway from the assembly structure allows quality verification without interfering with the connector's functional components, reducing the complexity of rework operations.
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical receptacle connector includes a metallic shell, an insulated housing, a plurality of first receptacle terminals, a plurality of second receptacle terminals, and a rear cover plate. The insulated housing is received in the receiving cavity. The first receptacle terminals and the second receptacle terminals are respectively disposed at an upper portion and a lower portion of the insulated housing. The rear cover plate includes a baffle plate and one or more hole. The hole is formed on the surface of the baffle plate for checking tail portions of the second receptacle terminals which are formed as SMT (surface mount technology) legs. Accordingly, the soldering condition between the tail portions of the second receptacle terminals and contacts of a circuit board can be checked from the hole.